Eat, Drink and Be Airborne

Envision your typical trip to the airport.  Breakfast and lunch are skipped as you pack and make other last-minute preparations. You rush out the door, checking your pockets for ticket and passport.  Perhaps you remember to kiss your spouse and children.  The drive to the airport is a mad dash through hectic traffic, ending in a long progression of queue after queue as you check your baggage, go through security and finally board the plane.  You stagger into your seat feeling a little faint and definitely stressed, wishing for a drink and hoping they serve dinner soon as you are famished.  You are by now a medical disaster waiting to happen.  Low blood sugar, low blood volume, low cabin pressure, low in-flight oxygen levels and low humidity all combined with high adrenaline levels are the perfect set-up for a heart attack or at least a fainting spell.  Add alcohol and prolonged sitting and the situation is even worse.

According to research conducted by Makoto Matsumura of the Saitama Medical School in Japan, the best prevention to all this is to eat a light preflight meal. This raises your blood volume, increases your blood sugar level, and reduces your stress and prepares you for the flight ahead.

Hunger is definitely a risk factor for an in-flight emergency. But so is chowing down a fast, greasy hot dog as you pelt down the concourse.  Choose a light meal and an electrolyte-rich drink that will reduce stress, give you time out for pleasure and replenish your body. Snack wisely.

Here are some nutrient- and carbohydrate-rich snack suggestions to keep you going:

But avoid eating too much. Overloading your stomach can reduce your circulation, producing a sharp drop in blood pressure.  Also, as diabetics know, it can stimulate a sudden outpouring of insulin from you pancreas, resulting in a sudden drop in blood sugar.

Eating well en route

Once on board, it is important still to make the healthy choices. Haste, jetlag and fatigue can lure you into a low-fiber, high-fat and high-calorie diet that gives quick energy but little nutrition. Try to stick to a healthy eating plan even if you seem to spend half your life aboard planes.

If you're on a special diet, contact the airline in advance to have your food arranged.  Kosher meals are usually available, as are vegetarian, diabetic, low fat and low-sodium.        

If the choice is yours, make the healthy one.  Opt for food that is broiled, steamed, braised or roasted. Minimize the intake of sautéed, fried or creamed cuisine. Pick fish, poultry, veal, pasta and vegetables.

Don't miss the most important meal of the day, breakfast, especially during flights. Skipping breakfast will make you so hungry by midmorning that you'll grab the nearest quick energy booster.

Keep yourself hydrated. High altitude and dry cabin air (especially during long flights) tend to dehydrate the body and contribute to jetlag. So drink plenty of water or juice. Bring a bottle of water on flights, if possible. Drink so much that you need to make frequent bathroom trips—both the hydration and the activity will help to prevent blood clots.

Pack snacks, especially if you are traveling with children. Take along small boxes of raisins, crackers, trail mix, fruit or meal replacement bars to control your appetite. Munchies can be handy in case the flight is delayed or you do not like the meal that is served.

Drinking and flying

Limit your fluids to soft drinks, juices and water. Alcohol and caffeine both tend to cause dehydration, which is already a problem in air travel and is one of the risk factors for deep vein thrombosis. Alcohol also contains lots of calories and may stimulate your appetite, causing overeating.

Understanding how the human body reacts to alcohol at altitude may also help you avoid some of those ugly incidents called “air rage”.

Alcohol is a depressant that slows down brain activity. It causes a person to misjudge social cues and overreact to perceived threats. Even small amounts can block impulses from the brain, leading to poor coordination and confusion. Tunnel vision occurs and, in some cases, double vision. Inner ear effects include dizziness and poor hearing.

Airplane cabin pressure is equivalent to an altitude of 5000 to 7000 feet.  At this altitude, just one drink can go straight to your head. It hits you like the equivalent of two to three on land, intensifying the toxic effects.

Unfortunately, much of the alcohol consumption on board an airplane is induced by fear.  Studies show, however, that when one is drinking out of fear, sensations of panic and anxiety are increased rather than decreased. The result can be air rage.

Then there are other drawbacks of excessive alcohol intake. If an airline emergency occurred, alcohol would have reduced the intoxicated passenger's reflex abilities. His movements would lack the swiftness and alertness essential in an urgent situation.

Finally, wine drinkers aren't immune. White wine contains histamines and can be highly acidic, while some red wines have astringent levels of tannic acid. All of this may cause severe sinus congestion and aggravate a cold while giving you a severe case of heartburn. Besides, as connoisseurs know, the taste of wine is often severely altered by altitude and dry air. A light pinot or chardonnay is a passenger's best bet for an airborne cocktail.